Indie author Lakisha Spletzer

Mark and I enjoyed getting to hear Lakisha Spletzer
speak about her books and self-publishing experiences at the local
library this week. A southwest Virginia native, Lakisha moved to
Florida in 2004 and soon joined a writing group that nurtured her
interest in books. By late 2009, she had self-published her first
book via Createspace, and soon thereafter began publishing ebooks as
well.

Four and a half years later, Lakisha has published nine books, and her best-seller
has sold 6,000 copies. Although she spreads her books around to
multiple sellers (using Smashwords to get into most of the e-catalogs),
Lakisha admits that she sells more books via Amazon than through any
other retailer.

Self-promotion is the
name of the game for indie authors, and Lakisha is a pro at leveraging
social media and in-person events to sell books. She got so good
at book promotion that she started her own company, Indie Hoopla, to
help less savvy authors get their books out there through blog tours,
giveaways, and other virtual outreach programs. The site even offers some free services for authors, which I plan to try out.

If you ever get a chance
to hear Lakisha speak, you should jump on the opportunity. She's a
vibrant presenter who held us all spell-bound with her stories, and
I'm looking forward to dipping into her books. Thanks for
such a fun evening, Lakisha!